I think there's a lot of hard truths people have a hard time dealing with. For example, for all the hate Rolex gets (and deserve) there is NOBODY even close that has the brand recognition that Rolex has. And I think for a lot of people that spend $7-15K on a watch care a lot more about having something with huge name pedigree than they like to admit. Its the same reason people wear the Lululemon and On Brand shoes around town. There's stuff out just as good for half the price but it doesn't signal to the world what you are wearing when they see that little Lulu brand circle or the On Shoes distinctive honeycomb sole of the shoe.

After almost 20 years absence of wearing a watch I decided to return to watch ownership in 2023. Previously I had no clue about movements or any technical know-how of watches so I decided to properly learn about the fundamentals and differences between watches. After much research I decided to move away from battery operated watches and focus on mechanical movements. This lead me to discovering the great marriage of mechanical and quartz - no battery needed but great accuracy - and purchasing my first and only luxury watch from a brand I did not even know existed - a Grand Seiko Spring Drive. It is beautiful, it does not require a battery, it is super accurate, and no one in my circle of friends even knows what I am wearing which is perfectly fine for me as I wear the watch for my own enjoyment and no one elses.

“shiny surfaces attract crows” Great line, I hope you a good chuckle on that.

You quickly became my favourite watch KZfaqr. Always competent, well informed, no nonsense, no hype. Just facts, observations and common sense (which is a rarity these days) garnished with a little bit of humor 👍

You are truly my favourite watch KZfaqr. Your views are always informed, non-sensational and logical! 👍👍

I bought a Grand Seiko. It's the only watch I own that cost over $600. Frankly, I would be embarrassed to wear a Rolex. I would consider an Omega or an Oris or a Monta or a Christopher Ward, but Grand Seiko was such a deal I went to it first. Especially right now with the yen at 158 per dollar. Grand Seiko is an incredible steal for Americans right now if you buy directly from Japan, even with the import tax.

Been a collector for donkeys at this point, your channel is the only one i watch! Mike you just make SENSE! Love it...Great content!!

Quickly, and you sir are one of my go to’s of KZfaq. In the watch world I have had so many different KZfaqrs that I watched, but now you have risen to the top!!! Love your pure unadulterated truth, candor and no sugar coating the facts. Thank you sir. 😊

Absolute first class video, presented by a true gentleman. Always enjoyable to watch. Thank you

Another smash hit. Your vids keep getting better and better, with each current one surpassing the last. Thank you, Chris

A wonderful, thoughtful approach to a murky topic. Really great channel.

Another excellent video shining light on points not covered by other channels. Please keep coming up with out of box ideas for your videos

I think this channel has some of the best watch industry analysis on KZfaq. Informed and well reasoned points throughout. Keep it up.

You put a lot of thought into to this one Mike, you’ve had some great videos but this one is a masters class on the watch industry, well done!

Mike, I really like your channel. You cut through the hype and give intelligent analysis.

As always spot on. Your content is the best of the lot in watch videos. I always feel that I've learned something new.

Excellent video, as usual. Very informative. Well done.

Thanks for the video, Mike!

Another great video....very interesting perspective. Cheers from Mozambique.

Damn. You just outdid 10+ years and 100+ KZfaqrs with this content. Great video!!

Great content, thank you. So refreshing to hear interesting and intelligent views on the watch industry rather than another video on why you must own a BB58! Please keep them coming!

This is an amazing analysis of luxury watch branding. You are showing off all your knowledge. Well done!

I was actually that first time luxury watch buyer who didn't know all that much about watches, but wanted something really nice from a famous Swiss brand. I was put off by Rolex _very_ quickly, mainly by the shitty attitude of AD's, but also because they seemed way overpriced compared to other brands in the same quality bracket. Also, heretical as it sounds, I just find their designs kind of "meh" - nothing wrong with it, but not interesting either. Cartier also didn't do it for me, although I do like the Santos, it lacked some features that I really wanted, like an open caseback (with a nice movement to look at), and lume. Grand Seiko designs are just not for me, though I do recognise their high quality. I like Zenith quite a lot, also some Breitlings, but at the end, I found that the brand that really ticked all the boxes on my list for a "one luxury watch" was Omega. Haven't regretted the decision, I think they are pretty much the brand that tries to cater for the most tastes and desires. For some that may be a negative (not such a clear identity, too big catalog), but for me, who's not a collector, it's a big plus: they will give me what I want, not what I'm _supposed_ to want.

Not the video I expected but the video I needed. Thank you!

Insightful and balanced. Great content

Hi Mike, Thank you for another fantastic video. The information you have provided is exceptional and appreciated.😄

This is reference material, and easy to recommend to others. Thanks for making the video1

Insightful as usual. Keep it up. I can't get enought of your videos.

Someone needs to send this video to the Bremont team. It perfectly illustrates why their new line is such an error. Just as the brand formed its identity and found its audience through the story they told - it’s destroyed in a week.

I love your channel. Very awesome analyzes. A friend of mine contacted the AD on the possibillity on getting a steel Explorer I in 36 mm. He could not, BUT if he wanted a two-tone or full gold watch they could help him. Pretty much like you said they would start to do, by expanding the precious metal line.

As always Mike - fantastic video - detailed and informative but sensible and entertaining - good that you burst some of the hype around watches.

I love your analogy of the sound a car door makes on a well build car. So true! You did not mention Lexus, but I drive one and listen for that "quality thunk" every time I close the door! :).... the concept does transfer to a watch feel and quality. We are a strange bunch for sure!!!! LOL

Interestingly my friends who have gone into the automotive engineering sector tell me that car manufacturers spent millions developing that satisfying thud or clunk when you open and close a car door all in an effort to sound more premium. I think that's exactly what watch companies do as well. Because we "eat with our eyes" the tinsel of quality and success matter. You are quite right my friend. Quality is highly subjective. Having never shopped at the higher level (I did buy a date just a few years ago but that's hardly high horology) I would not be able to say what is great value right now. Hope you have a great Freedom Day and an awesome weekend!

Thank you for “opening up the casebacks” and sharing what collectors actually get from the $4-14,000 watches. Very illuminating…The other factor is after market resale value, even though watches are not investments, which reflects demand.

I love your …”Days since last watch purchase” counter, Mike-reminds me of the “Days since last accident” health & safety signs that are commonplace in factories and warehouses in North America, in my experience at least 😅

Dear sir You are the most knowledgeable in the scene. Many thanks for passing us your unbelievable knowledge. With great respect Nizar

Love all the thought you put in your videos. You reveal a lot of topics anyone considering buying a watch at this price point should know. I personally look at the build quality in relation to the bang for the buck. I loath marketing and if I like a watch I just do. I do not need a corporation to tell me what watch or any product TBH I should purchase.

Insightful video, thank you.

Very enjoyable analysis today! Great work 😎

Your contents are so sharp, the contents of your chanel are so maximum at the point, that I really love it.

Another excellent video, containing some very useful information. I might try and haggle a bit harder if I buy another Tudor. 😀 (typo on your guarantee/gaurantee slide)

Awesome analysis. The best I’ve heard.

Enjoyed your video. Thank you!

That's a spot on analysis and a pleasure to listen/watch.

You are right about Grand Seiko and Rolex bracelets. I really like Grand Seikos, but the bracelets frustrate me. I had four of them, and now just have one. I wear my Rolex a lot more often as the bracelet is amazing.

Very insightful video, thx!

Thank you for posting this helpful video

this is the best expert watch content i’ve seen. look forward to saturday.

Excellent analysis!

Thank you, this is probavly the most informative video for watchbuyers at all. Keep on with this your addiction is hitting the audience.

Dang, this was an awesome breakdown of brand perception and quality. I've owned watches from Omega, Tudor, Rolex, Seiko and many others. And for me, the best watch I own that I wear the most is my Casio G-Shock GW-5000U. I've started to slowly sell off my expensive watches because I just don't care about perceived quality or brand perception--real or fake--anymore. I just need a tough watch, that always works and is insanely accurate. That being said, I always love videos like these that breakdown consumer psychology. Very well done.

Another great one. Thank you. Question. I’m sure some brands know their bracelets are lacking. Why is it that they don’t improve? For example, the reason I’ve always been deterred from pulling a trigger on an Omega SM300 is the chunky non-tapering bracelet. I’m sure some like it. But this is a reoccurring complaint by many. So we can conclude that this is an issue. No one ever complaints about a submariner bracelet.

Very informative, thank you!

You are the 'Rolex' of watch reviewers. Love your videos. Informative, educational and above all, objective.

At a party, I noticed that 8 out of the 10 male guests had a Rolex on their wrists including me. That prompted me to explore alternatives to the usual suspects or at least the more rarified items in the catalogues of the usual suspects. This caused me to seek out independents like Habring2, Stefan Ketelaars, RGM and the new Danish brand Arcanaut. My Omega references currently include the Seamaster Bullhead Chronograph (which along with the Ploprof which I have also owned) is one of their eccentric references. Pre-2017 Parmigiani and Speake-Marin (with a Vaucher movement) references are in my watchbox. I seldom run into anyone who is wearing what I am 😂wearing and I like that.

Thanks for the vid, Mike! Just enjoying it on my afternoon

Great vid and good information

Great video, sir! Just found your channel, happy to subscribe. All the best!

Please keep doing what you're doing here. You're the most objective watch guy in KZfaq I've encountered

As about objective an analysis as one can deliver! Please don't change. I love to understand 'why things are the way the are' and you videos provide my great clarity about their subjects. I would also note that many watch channels appear almost desperate for followers, using crazy attention seeking methods/behaviours to increase their numbers. I like your matter-of-factness. Cheers!

If bling and shininess were the most important factors in luxury, Invicta would be the undisputable king.

Loved your comments on Identity. I wonder how the new Christopher Ward XII will sell at an almost $5k USD price point. Does the brand have enough Brand Identity?

Excellent video. Branding has been heavy on my mind as I tinker with a startup and I’ve learned a lot from the watch industry.

The 'heard of it' HP printer comparison is bang on. Coworkers ask about my Omega, Rolex, and sometimes Panerai. No others

Another very interesting and thought provoking video…. Thanks Mike!

Well done and very informative. Happy with the GS. But then again I appreciate the fine craftsmanship, delicacy and dedication of Japanese arts, precision machining, making things to last, design (paintings, ceramics, kitchenware, cooking, gardening)

Speaking about the average buyer: Once upon a time I was workin in the car claims department of an insurance broker. One day I spoke to some lady on the phone, and whilst I had already learned at that point, that it can't be expected that people would be able to differentiate between the liablitiy and the casco insurance (which already sounds easy enough for me: liablity is for everyone elses damage, casco is your own) - this "remarkable" lady made me learn that you indeed can own and drive a car yet do not have any clue what the COMPULSORY liablity insurance does at all. So, she needs to take one out, she doesn't get her licence plate without one, but she didn't know what it does. THAT is indeed the level of insight the average Joe/Jane will have when walking into a watch store. Don't wanna step on anybody's toes here, but imho people can be incredibly ... well I don't know how to call it. Let's put it mildly: They think from 12 to midday and often show no interest of having a further glimpse into things. Sometimes, I am deeply worried about humanity as a whole. :D

Brilliant. Thanks! ❤

I really enjoy these videos because they make me think back to my university days studying the economics of markets. When Mike explains the intricacies of the watch market I think his lectures (for that is what they effectively are) should be required listening for any economics undergraduate, just add in a few graphs and maybe some equations. In the basic economic theory of a "perfect market" there is a concept called "perfect information" which means every buyer and seller involved in the supply and demand of a "good" (watch) knows everything about that "good". A way to win in a market (successfully compete) is to either dominate or distort market information, Mike's talks make me think about stuff like this. Excellent. 😂😂😂 Mike's talks have made me think about my watch buying much more analytically. 👍🏻 Thanks Mike.

I don’t often comment but this is very well thought-through content. Intellectually, I like Grand Seiko but can’t work up the enthusiasm to pull the trigger. I think Rolex is a bit of a safe choice and overplayed but would pick up a green dial Datejust at retail in the unlikely event the opportunity presented itself. Funny old world.

Buy what you like. Best advice ever. I had the Speedy and SM300, because they were iconic, did not pull at my heart string. My Zeniths on the other hand, "flaws" and all, I look forward to wearing them and puts a smile on my face every time. Just because marketing got me in the door, the watches are what will ultimately make me stay.

I'm reminded of Jackson Pollock seeing you in that shirt. Very nice!

Thank you for sharing your valuable insights on the video. It is crucial to make decisions that align with your personal preferences and bring you satisfaction, rather than being influenced solely by the opinions of others. Particularly in the realm of watch collecting, it is essential to choose timepieces that resonate with your taste and style.

HEY MAN I LIKE YOUR VIDEOS

Thanks! I enjoy your comments as always. 😀

I would like to hear your opinion on more micro brands someday, if possible. For example, Wise, Farer, Maen, Kuoe... Keep up the great work 👍

I think shiny is cheap, I like it as an addition, to show nice edges and lines, but not as the main finishing. The same, I avoid shiny ceramic bezel inserts.

Thanks a lot for your very interesting thoughts. I agree completly. Years ago I started with Casio and Citizen. Over Tissot, Maurice Lacroix, Junghans, Glycine etc. I came to TAG Heuer, Breitling and Rolex. Conclusion: ALL the watches work precisely since years and have a really good quality. The only difference is, that with a Breitling or Rolex you can show the the world what a "successful" guy you are. Now, I have started to sell the expensive ones and I will go back to my Casios and Tissots and use the watches for what they are really made: to tell me the time....

Amazing well articulated insight as always, mate. You are my favorite watch content creator.

Hi Mike, I'm a big fan of your videos and refer to them often. As it happens, Ive been running a personal little project/hobby targeted at understanding and illustrating "value" in the watch world. I've got some charts that I'd be very interested in getting your take on. Is there any way I can get these to you?

Great video!

Great video, Great analysis, interesting and knowledgeable point of view. Thanks you. You did at multiple time talked about men hours works, but mostly as an illustration of your point of analysis. I will be very interested to have a full video on that subject. In one of your previous video you mention a report that was indication men hour works average per brand would it be possible to have the reference of it as a reply. Thanks again for the unique point of view you.

A year ago, I bought a GS SBGJ239. Beautiful watch. However, I never fell in love with it. I sold it a couple of weeks ago and got a Rolex Air King..I lost a lot of $ on the GS. I absolutely love my AK...forget about what people say...buy and enjoy what you really like.

What a great video thank you.

very analytical in your thoughts. i wonder if there are some objective metrics to measure quality and based upon those metrics would love to see your ranking of these brands (especially Grand Seiko vs Rolex)

The question of 'worth' is one I struggle with all the time - what does a more expensive watch mean? Is this purchase a luxury I can enjoy or am I simply buying into a hype machine for the physical equivalent of NFT's? Adding in servicing costs for mechanical watches and it's one hell of a money sink. The other aspect you mentioned - the 'identity' of the brand and how it changes how customers view it / themselves - I'm not one for that kind of marketing. This is why I don't think I'll ever buy a watch worth more than $1,000. Yet as an enthuasiast I can easily see a future where I own a box of watches worth the equivalent of a submariner. Would I be happier seeing the name Rolex or Grand Seiko on my wrist? Should I take that risk to see what's on the others side? Maybe I'm just not rich enough to play that game! Love the videos and the questions / viewpoints they bring to light. Keep up the good work!

In my experience, only watch brand that was recognized and commented among non-watch people (35+ years) is Casio Vintage series and G Shock. At one party I wore Casio 53W. That watch put smile on the face of people who were there with the SUB, golden President and AP RO. Great channel BTW.

“Hi Mike and guys, I just bought new Rolex Explorer from AD. I was too excited and didn’t check the watch properly. I have two questions: 1. When you are setting the time, the second hand isn’t completely steady; it jiggles back and forth a bit, if I wanna set minute hand perfectly. Is this normal? 2. The bracelet is a bit stiff. The links close to the case are a little bit stiff, it seems like there is some friction and it gives off squeaky sounds. Should I return this to my AD? Thak you very much for your answers.

Finally subscribed!

For a moment I thought you were about to blame Hublot's brand image on Nico 🤣

My top 3 are Rolex, Omega and Grand Seiko (not very original)

I’ll be honest, as someone in this upper mid space looking to buy their “I made it “ watch, I do have to admit that it is very difficult to discount the icon factor. This will be my third largest purchase of my life and yes, it would be nice for people to know what I’m wearing.

Good discussion. Spot on.

great job Mike im on a different page on aluminum and ceramic bezel i think the aluminum looks higher quality i own both and ceramic looks to shiny and cheap like plastic.

Great video, thankyou. The current Rolex disdain is amusing given the scale of demand, familiarity breeds contempt perhaps?

Glashutte Original is the crazy one for me. You covered JLC in another video very well. GO just seems to be a brand where the quality far far exceeds the marketing hype it gets. Swatch group just seems to let the brand down.

re: Grand Seiko @ 6:25 - GS's main problem is bulky and out-of-touch designs, and not necessarily identity. Many enthusiasts swear by GS but end up buying Rolex, because GS watches are too dressy, too thick & too big. I want an OP36-like GADA design by GS, but what options do I have?

I love this channel. Discovered it only a few days ago. This fellow is so damn precise and methodical. Thought out analysis that leads to insights. Thanks for this great content!

Your take on the new CW skeleton watch value for money? Thank you

I found picking up and holding a Titanium Grand Seiko, knowing its specs, history, and price tag, and actually considering buying one from afar for a long time, I couldn't help but think it felt cheap as it was so light vs holding an Omega or Rolex.